St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Archdiocese of Galveston Houston

816 Park Dr. La Porte, Texas 77571 281-471-2000 Fax:281-471-9365 Website:www.stmaryslaporte.com E-mail:[email protected]

Parish Office Hours Monday - Friday 9:00 am-12:00 Noon 1:00 pm-4:00 pm

Sacrament of Baptism Baptisms are celebrated on the 1st Sunday of the month. Classes are held on the 2nd & 3rd Tuesday of each month. Please come by the Parish Office to register or call for CCE Office Hours During more information. Reconciliation CCE School Year: The Sacrament of Penance is offered on Saturdays, from Sunday 8:30 am-12:00 pm 4:30p.m. to 5:30p.m. or by appointment. Sacrament of Marriage Eucharistic Celebrations Please contact the Parish Office at least (6) six months Eucharistic Celebrations prior to your desired wedding date to arrange a meeting Saturday: 6:00 p.m. p.m. Saturday: 6:00 with Father Tony or one of the Deacons. If you want a Sunday: 7:30 a.m., a.m., 10:00 10:00a.m., a.m., Sunday: 7:30 Mass, you must call Father Tony. 12:30 p.m. p.m. (Spanish) (Spanish) 12:30 of Christian Initiation of Adults 4:00 p.m. p.m. Life Life Teen TeenMass Mass Are youRite 4:00 a non-Catholic who is interested in joining the Catholic faith? Are you a baptized Catholic who has St. Chapel St. Joseph’s Joseph’s Chapel never received the sacraments of 1st Communion and Monday (No Mass) Mass) Confirmation? If your answer is yes to either of these 12:00 noon noon Tuesday – 12:00 questions, call the Parish Office. 8:30 a.m. a.m. & & Wednesday – 8:30 Sacrament of First Reconciliation/First Communion Wednesday Only Only 6:30 6:30p.m.) p.m.) First Reconciliation/Communion candidates must be (1st Wednesday Friday –– 8:30 8:30 a.m. a.m. Thursday, & Friday baptized, at least in the second grade, and have been attending CCE classes for at least TWO full years prior to Parish Staff entering into sacramental preparation. Adults will be Rev. referred to the RCIA program. Rev. Tony Tony A. A. Castro, Castro, Pastor Pastor Deacon Sacrament of Confirmation Deacon Hector Hector Cantu Cantu Deacon Confirmation is a separate more intensive examination of Deacon Julio Julio Matallana Matallana Deacon the faith and our responsibilities as practicing Catholics. Deacon Stan Stan Avallone Avallone Confirmands will meet once per month in addition to Bookkeeper-Nelda Shealy Bookkeeper-Nelda Shealy attending Life Teen faithfully, both one full year prior to Bulletin/Sacramental Records– Records– Bulletin/Sacramental the beginning Sacramental preparation and during the Cheryl Frobenius Frobenius preparation year (no more than three absences either year). Maintenance– Steve Steve Regan Regan Maintenance– Parents/Sponsors will also be required to attend once per Parish Secretary-Debbie Secretary-Debbie Heasty Heasty month meetings. Confirmation candidates must have Receptionist-Peggy Holland Holland Receptionist-Peggy previously received the Sacraments of Baptism and First Holy Communion. A habit of attending weekly Mass is C.C.E. Director-Jessica Jaramilllo C.C.E. required for both years. Please, note the above represents EDGE Director-Shari Director-RandyDavis Tercero EDGE Director-Randy Tercero the minimum requirements. Adults will be referred to the Life Teen Director-Shari Davis Life Teen Director-Shari Davis RCIA program.

Vision Statement

St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic Community of Believers called to serve Christ by gathering together at the Lord’s Table in worship and praise, by serving our brothers and sisters in Christ, and by being a welcoming beacon of light to all. We are many parts, yet one body in Christ.

IGNITE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN Parish Goal 469,301.00

Saturday, July 13: 6:00pm Dorothy Dawson† By Doris Holmes Sunday, July 14: 7:30am Danny Cavazos† By Sylvia Cavazos 10:00am Delia Lopez† By Joe Lopez 12:30pm Timotea Sanchez† By Velasquez Family 4:00pm People of the Parish Tuesday, July 16: 12:00pm Brigitta Dobmeier† By Thomas & Janet D’Arcy Wednesday, July 17: 8:30am Charles Sepic† By Friend Thursday, July 18: 8:30am Special Intention for the Cortez Family Friday, July 19: 8:30am Amanda Chollett† By Family Saturday, July 20: 6:00pm Monica Garner† By Garner Family Sunday, July 21: 7:30am Rita Zaborowski† By Lynn Garner 10:00am Nolia Green† By Peggy Holland 12:30pm Oralia Cavazos† By Erica Lopez 4:00pm People of the Parish

Weekly Goal $12,000.00 June 29 & 30, 2019 Sunday Collection $6,986.00 2nd Collection (Peter’s Pence) $1,984.00 July 6 & 7, 2019 Sunday Collection $11,586.00 June Extra Offertory Donation

$1,356.00 June On-Line Giving $3,188.00

Amount Pledged: $210,950.95 Amount Paid: $47,516.44 (10.12%) Total # of Participants 61

Our Faith, Our Mission Begins! Addressing the Short and Long-term Needs of Our Church and those God calls us to serve.

All parishes in the Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston are joining together for the IGNITE Campaign. We seek to raise over $150 million over the next 4 years to prepare our faith family for the future. At its heart, this campaign is about supporting our future by focusing on our parishes, our future priests, Catholic Education and Faith Formation as well as Rebuilding in Light of Harvey and ensuring a future Disaster Fund. Please take time during the next few weeks to learn more about the campaign and the needs we will address together. Please prayerfully consider your commitment!

DIOCESAN SERVICES FUND “Do Not Neglect to Share What you Have” Parish Goal 2019 $52,000.00

Amount Pledged: $44,640.00 Amount Paid: $36,785.00 (63.29%) Total # of Participants 112

If you have not already offered your pledge in this year’s Diocesan Services Fund (DSF), please do so today. DSF 2019 reminds us, the Church, to Not Neglect to Share What you Have, and through our willingness to share our blessings, benefit ministries that serve thousands and thousands of our brothers and sisters in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. With your generous support of DSF, you offer praise to God and care to the many pressing needs that cannot be addressed individually or by one parish alone. Our parish goal for 2019 is $52,000. With every parish family’s full participation, we will surely exceed this amount advancing the work of the Church in our community. To give online, please visit www.archgh.org/dsf. For those of you who have already responded with a gift, please accept our sincere gratitude.

Dear parish family,

15th Sunday Year C

The concepts of intimacy, support, humanism, compassion, love, charity, etc, are what we long for but always wanting. While humanity has advanced tremendously in many different fronts particularly in technology sadly it regressed to “inhumanity” in many levels. The timeless message of this Sunday’s gospel once again confronts us and challenges our Christian response. The parable of the Good Samaritan is so familiar to us. Yes, not only in context of the biblical story but in the present realities too. Think of health care debate, immigration, race relations, crime, injustices, neglect, etc.. These in fact are woven in the gospel story. When we hear the word “Samaritan” we quickly associate it with caring, helping, or doing good deeds. Yet Samaritans in Jesus’ time and day were despised and hated people by the Jews. The punching line in the story is that the one they labeled in their society as “no good” is the one who did a good act and did what God wants us to do. The message is about good people who “missed the point.” Such as the scholar of the law interested only of definitions seeking to justify himself and instead ask more questions. He knows the laws of God but his actions are disconnected to his knowledge. As well as the priest and the Levite who are suppose to know who God is but are more concern with playing it safe rather than risking something for Him. Love, the Lord tells us, is never abstract or distant; it “sees” and it responds. The compassion shown by the Samaritan is an image of the infinite mercy of God, who always sees our needs and draws near to us in love. The command to love God and neighbor, then, is supremely practical; it entails caring for others even to the point of personal sacrifice. By the end of the parable, we see that the “neighbor” is not so much the man in need, but rather the one who responded to that need with compassion. We have difficulty loving our neighbor because we do not understand “neighbor” as Jesus did. Neighbor for us means people we like, people who are on our side, who work for a living, and who mind their own business. Jesus redefines neighbor as the hated stranger who is down and out, challenging us to stop what we are doing and care for his need. “Who is a neighbor?” is not a good question. Rather it should be, “How can I be a neighbor?” And rather than we come to the Lord to ask questions we rather should be able to come to Him with our answers. Blessings to you all and have a good week!

Querida familia parroquial,

Fr. Tony

15º domingo año C

Los conceptos de intimidad, apoyo, humanismo, compasión, amor, caridad, etc., son lo que anhelamos y siempre los deseamos. Si bien la humanidad ha avanzado enormemente en muchos fuentes diferentes, particularmente en tecnología, lamentablemente retrocedió a la "inhumanidad" en muchos niveles. El mensaje indefectible del evangelio de este domingo nos enfrenta una vez más y desafía nuestra respuesta cristiana. La parábola del buen samaritano nos es tan familiar. Sí, no solo en el contexto de la historia bíblica sino también en las realidades presentes. Piense en el debate sobre la atención médica, la inmigración, las relaciones raciales, el crimen, las injusticias, el abandono, etc. De hecho, están entretejidos en la historia del evangelio. Cuando escuchamos la palabra "samaritano", rápidamente la asociamos con cuidar, ayudar o hacer buenas obras. Sin embargo, los samaritanos en el tiempo y el día de Jesús fueron despreciados y odiados por los judíos. El golpe bajo en la historia es que el que calificaron en su sociedad como "nada bueno" es el que hizo un buen acto e hizo lo que Dios quiere que hagamos. El mensaje trata sobre personas buenas que "no entendieron". Por ejemplo, el académico de la ley solo se interesa en las definiciones que buscan justificarse y, en cambio, hacen más preguntas. Él conoce las leyes de Dios, pero sus acciones están desconectadas de su conocimiento. Al igual que el sacerdote y el levita, que se supone que saben quién es Dios, pero están más interesados en jugar a lo seguro en lugar de arriesgar algo por él. El amor, nos dice el Señor, nunca es abstracto ni distante; "ve" y responde. La compasión mostrada por el samaritano es una imagen de la infinita misericordia de Dios, que siempre ve nuestras necesidades y se acerca a nosotros con amor. El mandamiento de amar a Dios y al prójimo, entonces, es sumamente práctico; implica cuidar a los demás hasta el punto de sacrificio personal. Al final de la parábola, vemos que el "prójimo" no es tanto el hombre que lo necesita, sino el que respondió a esa necesidad con compasión. Tenemos dificultades para amar a nuestro prójimo porque no entendemos al "prójimo" como lo hizo Jesús. Vecino para nosotros significa personas que nos gustan, personas que están de nuestro lado, que trabajan para ganarse la vida y que se ocupan de sus propios asuntos. Jesús redefine al prójimo como el odiado extraño que está deprimido y desafiando a que dejemos de hacer lo que estamos haciendo y cuidemos de su necesidad. "¿Quién es un vecino?" No es una buena pregunta. Más bien, debería ser: "¿Cómo puedo ser un prójimo?" Y en lugar de acudir al Señor para hacer preguntas, deberíamos poder acercarnos a Él con nuestras respuestas. ¡Bendiciones a todos y que tengan una buena semana!

P. Tony

Please Pray For Our Troops and …

Sandra Schnieder, Gus Pulido, Elizabeth Jeffers, Gail

Young, Yvonne Smeltzer & family, Seth Permenter & family, Don Gore, Nell Turk, Victoria Sepulveda, Ladd Puskus, Dorothy Headrick, Craig Wade, Jennifer Wade, Bob & Barbara Jennings and family, Dianne Lemons, Paula Lambright, Jennifer Minor, Dave & Cindy Schmitz, Faith A., Dennis, Peggy & Erica Hargens, Ruth Christian and family, Marilyn James, Christina C., Chuck & Susan Thompson, Don & Allie Faye Mathews, Barbara Riley, Jeremy & Diana Cassidy & family, Kendra Ramirez & family, Raelynd and family, Charlie & Rosemarie Michna, Rick Novak, Devon Tiffin, Susanne Tolley, Jordan Binkley, Aaron Binkley, Brenda & Sid Kokes, Deborah Palumbo, Hope Araujo, Ernest Corkell, Brenda & Sid Kokes, Laura Jaramillo, Rick Novak, Alexandria Riley, Rosie Hernandez, John “Blackie” Odam, Joel Rivera, Paul Newman, Maryellen Carew, Martha Love, Jonathan McBride, Hope Villarreal, Susan Massey, Mr. Zamora Lawrence Farias, Alma P., George Hanson, Linda Zeller Continue to Pray for Kathy Strader, Daniel Vasquez, Herlinda Robles, Rosa Harness, Randy Hanks, Maria Garcia, Jeanette Tilley, Christina Palacios, David & Mary Gonzalez, Marisol Leyva & family, Marisol Luna, Juanita Sanchez, Cynthia de la Cerda, Betty Flynn, Orville Burgess, Pat Riley, Joe Sturm, Edward Salinas, Marlene Orellana, Humberto Villalobos, Mary Sigala, Kathy McBride, Margaret Espinoza, Romela Nolan, Joe Bernal, Fr. Gary Rickles, Renee Cortez, Pedro Sanchez, Aurelia Hinojosa, Cathy Hanzelka, Msgr. Boli Zientek, Gayle Phillips, Jane Middleton, Rosa Reyes, Tom Noonan, Deacon Tom Lewis, Gene Contreras, Irene Templet, Preston Wolf, Lawretta Foots, Marcos Vasquez, Gavin Binkley, Clarence Lewis, Red Cornejo, Linda Jaramillo, Lois Johnston, Deacon Merce Leal, Sue Crockett, Joanne Jarrell, Ben Munoz, Diana Ortiz, Bob Davis, Janet Hoffpauir, Nick Martin, Barry Armstrong and those requesting prayer via our web site. Remember Our Shut-Ins Mary Boatman, Lydia Rubio, Trinidad Arrindon, Josie Funda, Soledad Hernandez, Elida Peterson, and those battling terminal illness and the residents of La Porte Care Center and Parson’s House Please Note: Names on our “Please Pray For” list are left on for four weeks. If someone needs to be put back on the prayer list or added please call the Church Office.

Parishioner Della Dolezal Turning 100 Come Celebrate ~ Open House Seabrook Community House July 28, 2-5pm READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Ex 1:8-14, 22; Ps 124:1b-8; Mt 10:34 — 11:1 Tuesday: Ex 2:1-15a; Ps 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34; Mt 11:20-24 Wednesday: Ex 3:1-6, 9-12; Ps 103:1b-4, 6-7; Mt 11:2527 Thursday: Ex 3:13-20; Ps 105:1, 5, 8-9; 24-27; Mt 11:28-30 Friday: Ex 11:10 — 12:14; Ps 116:12-13, 15, 16bc, 17-18; Mt 12:1-8 Saturday: Ex 12:37-42; Ps 136:1, 23-24, 10-15; Mt 12:14-21 Sunday: Gn 18:1-10a; Ps 15:2-5; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10:38-42

Pope’s Prayer Intention for July Universal: That those who administer justice may work with integrity, and that the injustice which prevails in the world may not have the last word.

Join Us… St. Mary’s Music Ministry Sat. 6pm Mass– Rehearsals before Mass at 5:15 Contact Kathy McBride 713-628-8387 Sun. 7:30am Mass-Rehearsals before Mass at 7am Contact Yvonne Fisher 832-581-5974 Sun. 10:00am Mass Rehearsal Wed. 6:30-9pm Rosary Hall Contact Annelise Lagasse 281-300-7230 Sun. 12:30pm Spanish MassContact Jose Vazquez 832-868-4081 Sun. 4pm Life Teen MassRehearsals-Sunday 2pm Contact Alex [email protected] or 281543-7794 The Gabriel Project is designed to help women and teenagers who are in a crisis pregnancy. If you are in need of assistance or know someone who is, please contact Belinda @ 713-805-4961 or the Church Office.

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store St. Mary’s Church,816 Park Dr., LaPorte, TX

Low-Low Prices

Clothing, Shoes, Houseware/Glassware, Hardware ~ New Merchandise Every Day ~

Hours: 9:00am to 11am Closed: Thursday & Sunday

All proceeds are used to help the needy in our community with their rent and utility bills. If you or someone you know, who lives in La Porte, is in need of assistance, please call or have them call the office to make an appointment to come in for help. Thank You for Your Support! Our Resale Shop here at St. Mary’s is in need of volunteers. Able bodied Men and Women. You can pick any day you are able to work. If you are available to help out, please contact Norma @ 281-4711752.

Ministry Schedule July 20 & 21, 2019 SATURDAY 6:00pm Altar Servers Diego Vasquez, Ruben Vasquez Lector Isabelle Salas Commentator Jaime Vasquez Extraordinary Ministers Dennis Swenson, of the Eucharist Victoria Swenson SUNDAY-7:30am Altar Servers Natalie Molina, Alex Molina Lector Lisa Raymundo Commentator Demetris Guzman Extraordinary Ministers Mose Davis, Leslie Davis of the Eucharist SUNDAY-10:00am Altar Servers Sophia Melton, Isabella Melton Lector Kerry Regan Commentator Tracy Avallone Extraordinary Ministers Eloy Lara, Vanessa Lara of the Eucharist SUNDAY-12:30pm (Spanish) Altar Servers Adrian Rodriguez, Alejandro Rodriguez Lectors Sergio Calvillo, Juanita Velasquez Extraordinary Ministers Jose Rios, Yoli Rios of the Eucharist SUNDAY-4:00pm Altar Server Benjamin Tercero, Oliver Tercero Lector Randy Tercero Extraordinary Ministers Angie Tercero, of the Eucharist Rosie Molina

ALTAR FLOWERS

Available Dates for Altar Flowers 2019

Aug. 17/18, 24/25 Aug. 31/Sept. 1, Sept. 7/8, 14/15, 21/22, To place flowers on the Altar contact Rose Kolenc @713-202-3283 or [email protected] Church Sanctuary Candle Special Intention for Carmen Salas By Family Church Sanctuary Candle In Loving Memory of Dianne Verret By Peggy Holland

BINGO for Cash Join Us Today Rosary Hall 1:30 ~ 5:00pm

Activities of the Week

Sunday, July 14:Altar Society Bingo 1:30pm Tuesday, July 16:Pastoral Council Mtg. Rosary Hall Conf. Rm 7pm Baptism Class Spanish 7pm Thursday, July 18: RCIA Friday, July 19:Spanish Prayer Group Chapel 7pm

Bazaar Sunday, Oct. 20th Next Mtg. Wed. July 17, 7pm

If you have chaired a booth or would like to help with planning on how to make this the BEST BAZAAR EVER please contact our Bazaar Chair, Tim( 281-402-5401), or call the church office. Thank you for your support! Howdy: Will you or someone you know be a freshman at Texas A & M University or Blinn College this fall? If so, St. Mary’s Catholic Center invites you to attend our Connect Retreat! Connect is a retreat held just for incoming freshmen before school starts in August. It is a great way to meet other Catholic freshmen and to learn about growing in your faith while in college. For more information and to register, please visit ww.stmarysconnectcom. Gig’em and God bless!

FORMED...

Incredible online gateway to the best Catholic Content, all in one place. Go to stmaryslaporte.formed.org to register. If you are having any trouble getting registered, or any other problems, please contact Tracy [email protected]. She will contact you and walk you through the steps to register.

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The Lighthouse Catholic Media Kiosks…

There are several books and DVD’s of informational material designed to help us grow in our faith. Go by and check them out! We have a new Kiosk in the church office. They are also located at the back of the church and in Rosary Hall.

A Silent Retreat ~ July 19-21 Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center Fr. Joe Barbieri, C.P. Go to www.holynameretreatcenter.com

Spiritual Direction “Spiritual Direction is one person’s serving another through prayer, listening, discerning, and responding to the presence of God in that person’s life, to the end that she or he will grow in conformity to Christ.” From: Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls by Los Testigos del Poder de Dios Gary Moon and David Benner. Interested in Nuestra Asamblea de Oración les invita a reunirse como hermanos en Cristo para ALABAR, spiritual direction? Contact Tracy: stmarysrBENDECIR, y GLORIFICAR a nuestro Dios, [email protected] Encuentro Martimonial Mundial Los invita a vivir un Fin de Semana Conoce como puedes vivir mas intima y profundamente tu relacion. AQuieres recuperar la relacion con tu esposo (a)cunado eran novios. 281948-8690, 281-948-8640, Marco & Mercedes Arrona, [email protected]

Padre, Hijo y Espiritu Santo. Vengan pequenos y grandes todos los viernes de 7:30-9:00p.m. en la capilla de San Jose. Te invitamos a una Hora Santa en comunidad Todos los mièrcoles De 7-8 p.m.En la Capilla de San Josè. Para más información Puedes comunicarte con Marta y Reino Fernández 832-985-1799 Bible Study (Symbolon) Knowing the Faith Thursday’s 6-9pm Conf. Rm

This class will take you through the Creed, or statement of beliefs that Catholics all around the world profess at every Mass. Symbolon unveils the beauty and richness of the Catholic story, and brings us into a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, his plan for our lives, and how we can live this plan more deeply in our daily lives.

VBS 2019 Aug. 5-9,9am-1pm “Sailing with God” We Need You!!!

Catholic Mutual Group Safe Haven The Catholic Mutual Group Safe Haven online training is replacing the, VIRTUS training. The training consists of 3 vignette style training videos that is approximately 60 minutes and will include a criminal background check that must be completed. These trainings are available in English and Spanish. We will no longer offer live trainings, all Safe Environment trainings will only be available online. •All new employees and volunteers will complete the Safe Haven online training program instead of VIRTUS Protecting God’s Children training. The turnaround time for approval may be approximately two weeks or less. • All individuals must complete the training and complete a background check prior to the start of employment and/or volunteer service. • The 5-year anniversary date is still in place individuals who recently attended VIRTUS will not be due to complete refresher trainings until they have met their t-year anniversary date. • As the 5-year anniversary date is met, individuals will need to log into CMGConnect with their previous personal VIRTUS user id and 1234 as the password. Once the individual logs into their CMGConnect account, they will be able to change their password. If you do not remember the user id or have any other difficulties, please • contact Shari Davis [email protected]

We are in the planning stages of St. Mary’s 2019 Vacation Bible School, and we are looking for some “Special Sailors” to help make this possible. If you can help, we would like to hear from you. Please contact us at VBS Sailing Headquarters (also known as the The following individuals below will now be Church office) or send out a signal required to complete Safe Haven online training as to us if you have any questions or can well: 1. Individuals who have never attended training. help out in any way. We look forward to working with 2. Individuals who are currently due for refresher training and had not attended VIRTUS training. you!!! 3. Individuals who are currently due and have not All Volunteers must be VIRTUS or attended VIRTUS training. Safe Haven trained. 4. Individuals who are out of compliance or past Call the office 281-471-2000 or Desiree 832-877-2365

due.

galvestonhouston.cmgconnect.com

According to St. Benedict: “God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called.”

We are in need of your help as a Teacher/Volunteer in all of our Religious Education programs. Could God be calling you to be His voice in His Church at this time? Please contact the office or Shari Davis @ [email protected].